🍇 The best nearby wineries with good food

Why Portland Is Still WNBA-Hopeful

There’s still hope for a Portland WNBA team as the season gets underway. Women’s basketball is increasingly popular: The NCAA women’s tournament, for example, had record viewership this year. That may help the WNBA continue with further expansion plans, which Portland is still in the running for. [OPB]

• Related: Listen back to an interview with The Sports Bra owner, who is helping to recruit the WNBA to town — and now planning her own expansion to other cities. [City Cast Portland 🎧]

Doc Warns About Melatonin

A Portland doctor is warning parents to be careful with melatonin — a natural hormone that helps with sleep. Since the first year of the pandemic, there has been an uptick in emergency room visits for melatonin overdose. The supplement is available in a sweet gummy form resembling candy that kids may enjoy eating by the handful. [Oregonian]

High School To Ban Cell Phones

Grant High School in Northeast Portland is banning cell phones starting next fall. Phones and even smartwatches will have to be locked away all day. The school says the new policy is to create a "more focused and engaging learning environment" while some students accuse the school of “overdoing” it. [KGW]

Four years ago, Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt won election promising criminal justice reform. After the local murder rate and fentanyl use climbed, Schmidt faces a challenge from one of his deputies, who is campaigning for a tougher-on-crime approach.

🗳️ Who’s on the Ballot

• Mike Schmidt, district attorney
• Nathan Vasquez, senior deputy district attorney

🗞️ The Inside Scoop

Recent polling shows that voters in the region are very concerned about crime — an issue that works in Vasquez’s favor. While Vasquez has big donations from local downtown developers, Schmidt has seen a deluge of money come in from billionaire backers of criminal justice reform.

📖 More on the Candidates

• Read a guide to the race (or listen to a podcast run-down). [OPB]
• Listen to interviews with Schmidt and Vasquez. [City Cast Portland 🎧]
• Watch a debate between the candidates. [Oregonian]

Must-Try Wineries Close to Portland

The Willamette Valley has more than 700 wineries, many of them about an hour’s drive. Which has the best food or the nicest patio? Which do you need to book ahead? And where are the best local urban wineries? Eater Portland editor Brooke Jackon-Glidden’s got tips on how to get the most out of this glorious wine-tasting season.